To the Editor:
In the July 14 Review Mr. Bagley and friends provided a very erudite analysis of some issues affecting a proposed fruit storage facility on Agricultural Land Reserve near Main Street in Cawston.
In past years many non-agricultural uses of ALR land have happened without effective popular opposition in Cawston. Some land title holders have followed the common practice of “just doing it” and then resisting fallout, if any.
A car yard operating for commercial purposes has taken an ALR spread near Osprey Lane at Beecroft River Road and most recently an associated car yard has sprung up on the ALR at Coulthard near the amber light. No formalities. Just let be, so far.
We know of an axle plant and a log building concern on ALR land. With what advance clearance from the ALR Commission? Either way, now a done deal.
Cawston is appointed Area “B” of The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen and has not provided itself with an Official Community Plan or committed itself to zoning for industrial, residential, commercial etc.
But for the Agricultural Land Reserve Act it is a free for all in Cawston.
With concern for a very major capital project, Cawston Cold Storage Limited has exposed itself to scrutiny in advance by going to the Area Planning Committee and presenting itself to the ALR.
The Area Planning Committee is informal. The ALC is not advised, constrained or empowered by existing zoning, as there is no zoning in Area B. The ALC has passed the Cawston Cold Storage plan along to the only power that matters in the case, The Agricultural Land Reserve Commission.
The present opposition to the taking up of prime agricultural land for, strictly speaking, non-agricultural purposes may be an awakening of the Cawston Community to the importance of advance planning for things like an expanded fruit storage facility or any number of industrial uses that might support the rural economy.
Since this March an Official Community Plan committee struck by Director Hanson has been working on a conscious vision for land use. From this OCP work The Regional District may move to enact zoning bylaws and may, backed by public vigilance, stick to them.
Meanwhile, Cawston will be picked away at chunk by chunk, here there and everywhere by whoever has whatever use for a nice spread of relatively cheap land on the Southern Transprovincial Highway.
A careful and proactive approach to planning in Cawston might win respect and attention from Victoria around a number of local concerns and help prevent the further loss of agricultural land, which has gone so un-checked in other places in the province.
Dave Cursons, Cawston